Bampowe Early Origins

The surname Bampowe was first found in Oxfordshire, at Banbury, a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell, now in the Cherwell District. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Banesberie [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) but a Saxon chieftain is said to have built a stockade there as early as the 6th century. Literally, the place name means "stronghold of a man called Ban(n)a," from the Old English personal name + "burh." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) Banbury Castle was built in 1135 by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, in a motte and bailey design. King Stephen claimed the castle in 1139 but later that year he returned it to the bishop. Archeological digs in the 1970s confirmed that it was rebuilt between 1225 and 1250. In 1648, it was demolished and stones from the castle were later used to build houses in the town.

Bampowe Spelling Variations

Bampowe Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bampowe family name include Banbury, Bandbury, Bandebury, Bandury, Bambury, Bamberry and many more.

Bampowe Early History

Bampowe Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bampowe research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bampowe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bampowe Early Notables (pre 1700)

Bampowe Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Bampowe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bampowe In Ireland

Bampowe In Ireland

Some of the Bampowe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bampowe surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Ann Banbury who settled in Baltimore in 1790; Jane Banbury settled in Pennsylvania in 1685; William Bamberry who settled in Philadelphia in 1836. In Newfoundland, one of the family was a Captain in the seal fishery in 1833.

Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. Print.

The Bampowe Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Bampowe Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.